Given the growing fascination with social networking and the internet it is no surprise that employers are beginning to check out our personal profiles before committing to hiring. There has been much debate over whether or not this is a violation of privacy and if it is their right to not hire someone based on something they do in their free time. While I understand both sides, I believe that if you are posting it online, you are posting it for anyone to see, even your employers.
This is of course and extreme, but if you work for a pharmaceutical company, you wouldn't hire someone who is a drug dealer outside of work.
I understand the right to have your work life and personal life separate, however inappropriate things should not be a part of it. As a rule of thumb I wouldn't post something online that I wouldn't want to be seen doing at work or in front of my students. We have to keep in mind that our students are curious about the internet and their teachers and will research you and it is important to keep a good example.
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Thank you for posting a thoughtful comment on this subject. I too, wonder if it is not an invasion of privacy and if what I do in my private life is my employers business as long as I am not breaking the law. But we do not live in a world where people do not judge each other. Therefore, as teachers, since we are often held to a higher standard than other professionals we need to think about what we say both in and out of the classroom. If we post our selves in a space that the world can see then we take the chance of offending someone. It's not fair but it is the reality.
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